If you read this post I shared, you know how I got started shooting with bloggers in Dallas.

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When I moved to Dallas I was shooting weddings, engagements, portraits, families and events for anyone who asked. So basically, I did it all.

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But a year after moving to Dallas, I decided I wanted to be really good at one thing — shooting with bloggers.

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Once I made that decision, I started to do a few things differently in my business and blog:

I started to market myself as a photographer for bloggers and I changed the way I described my photography to people, as well as on my website and social media.

I also started to say no to other types of shoots, like weddings. Not because I didn’t like shooting them, but because I knew I wanted to put all my energy into blogger shoots and get really good at them.

Since then, people have recognized me as someone who shoots with fashion and lifestyle bloggers — and while they’re not necessarily the only people I shoot with now, it is something that helps set me apart as a photographer. ​

One of my favorite business coaches, Jenny Shih (who I’ve learned so much from by just reading her blog’s free content!) says, “Carving out a niche of some kind for your business is ALWAYS going to be the right move.” She’s making six figures in her business by following her own advice so I’m definitely not going going to argue with her.

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I’d add carving out a niche for your blog can also be the right move.

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When picking a niche for your blog or business, make sure it’s something you love and want to cover in-depth.

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So instead of being a graphic designer for everyone, you’re a graphic designer who works specifically with women who have their own creative online businesses (and love drinking coffee every morning while browsing Pinterest).

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Okay, so that may be a tad specific but you get the idea. Having a more specific idea of who you’re serving will help you create better content or products — instead of being everything to everyone and attracting nobody.

If you’re just starting your blog or business and are wanting to go niche and be known for something, here are a few ways you can do it:

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Know who your audience is and how you want to help them.

This can apply to bloggers and business owners alike. Decide what topic or group of people you want to serve and create useful content or products that solve their problems.

Create a list of all of their similarities so you know exactly who you’re creating for — what are their interests, fears, hopes, hobbies, age, location, etc. This has helped me while writing and creating content.

Decide what you do want to be known for and what you’re going to say no to (and don’t be afraid to say no).

Once I decided to become more niche, I started to say no to weddings. After I made that decision, I had six people ask me to shoot their wedding and as bad as I felt about saying no, I turned them down because it wasn’t where I wanted to excel — and I knew the time and energy I’d be using could go towards improving other areas of my work. (And let’s face it, there are so many talented wedding photographers out there I knew they’d be in much better hands than mine.)

Become an authority in your niche:

You can do this by blogging helpful information for your target audience or customers, or sending out a newsletter like this one! (If you missed my newsletter on why bloggers need a newsletter you can catch up here!)

You can speak at local events or workshops to build your credibility and meet other people in your niche.

Teach classes in-person or online. I’ve taught four in-person workshops for bloggers who want to learn how to use their camera and shoot gorgeous images for their blog and Instagram.

Guest post for blogs or platforms who have the same target audience or customers as you do.

Market whatever you want to do more of.

If you’re a graphic designer and you love creating wedding invitations and want to do more of them, you’re definitely going to want to make those prominent in your portfolio.

This may attract other types of jobs than just the niche you intend so it’s up to you what you want to say yes or no to.

You may think by getting specific about a niche, you’ll turn people away — and you might, but it’s actually a good thing.

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The people who are attracted to what you’re sharing or the service you’re offering will come back to you because you’re that girl who knows everything about X. You may not know A, B, C and D but when that person needs help with X, you’ll be top of mind.

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Don’t feel painted into a corner if you decide on one niche or audience. If you decide to change and evolve later on, that’s okay! But if you want to be known for something, start small and don’t be afraid to say no to certain topics, jobs or people if it doesn’t align with your vision.

Tine-Great post and a great motivation for me actually as I’ve been wanting to focus more on a niche segment of my own blog for 2 years now but I keep ignoring it. Resolution for 2016: become a niche blogger!ReplyCancel